Kamakura Fountain Pens

The Gentleman in the picture is feeding his fountain pen according to the old and very dependable method used be the fathers and mothers of the present generation of fountain pen wielders. Probably most of the readers of this magazine have never seen a fountain pen of the old style, into which the ink was carefully placed with the assistance of what is known as a "Medicine Dropper."

The self-filler was a great improvement. It was convenient and "Safe" as compared with the old method. It was warmly welcomed and has come to be universally used.

But the surgical method of filling the pen certainly was effective - it got results. When one undertook to fill this pen he knew beyond question that he got ink into it. Having ink inside the pen is one of the first requirements for its successful use.

The modern self-filling pens causes a lot of grief because users sometimes fail to fet ink into the pen when they think they are filling it. These pens depend upon the suction to draw the ink up into the container inside the barrel. The end of the pen must be immersed in the ink about the tip of the barrel, for otherwise the pen simply fills with air instead of ink. A pen should be kept well filled with ink to work properly. Excessive ink flow or "flooding" usually indicates that the pen is not properly filled.